Identifying the chaîne opératoire of club-rush (Bolboschoenus glaucus (Lam.) S.G.Sm) tuber exploitation during the Early Natufian in the Black Desert (northeastern Jordan)

Arranz‐Otaegui, Amaia; Pedersen, Patrick; Schmidt, Ann Frijda; Jörgensen-Lindahl, Anne; Roe, Joe; Villemoes, Johan; Pantos, George Alexis; Killackey, Kathryn

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103677

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 30 publications

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“…The frequency of wetland birds in the archaeological assemblage (Table 1), particularly the abundance of Charadriiformes, which are autumn and spring visitors, suggests that water was widely available in the Qa' Shubayqa during the Early Natufian. The presence of wetland features is also supported by the finding of large numbers of tubers from bulrush (Bolboschoenus glaucus) (Arranz et al, 2018;Arranz et al, 2023), a wetland species commonly found at Epipalaeolithic sites in the Southern Levant (Wollstonecroft et al, 2011). Conversely, the lack of avifaunal remains from contexts dating to the Younger Dryas occupation at Shubayqa 1, might suggest a dryer environment at this time.…”

Section: Previous Archaeological Evidence For Wetlands At Qa' Shubayqamentioning

confidence: 80%

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

Yeomans¹,

Codlin²,

Mazzucato³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Utilising multiple lines of evidence for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction improves our understanding of the past landscapes in which human populations interacted with other species. Illuminating such processes is key for a nuanced understanding of fundamental transitions in human history, such as the shift from hunting and gathering to farming, which move beyond simple deterministic interpretations of climate-driven innovation. Avifaunal remains can provide detailed indications of complex multi-species interactions at the local scale. They allow us to infer relationships between human and non-human animals, but also to reconstruct their niche, because many bird species are sensitive to specific ecological conditions and will often relocate and change their breeding patterns. In this paper, we illustrate how novel evidence that waterfowl reproduced at Levantine wetlands, which we obtained through biomolecular archaeology, as well as modern ornithological data, can reveal conditions of wetlands that are conducive for breeding waterfowl. By understanding the interplay between wetland cover cycles and waterfowl ecology, we argue that human modifications to the environment would have promoted wetland productivity inviting waterfowl to remain year-round. Within this landscape of "mutual ecologies", the feedback resulting from the agency of all species is involved in the construction of the human niche.

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Section: Previous Archaeological Evidence For Wetlands At Qa' Shubayqamentioning

confidence: 80%

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

Yeomans¹,

Codlin²,

Mazzucato³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Waterfowl Eggshell Refines Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction and Supports Multi-species Niche Construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition in the Levant

Yeomans,

Codlin,

Mazzucato

et al. 2024

J Archaeol Method Theory

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Utilising multiple lines of evidence for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction improves our understanding of the past landscapes in which human populations interacted with other species. Illuminating such processes is key for a nuanced understanding of fundamental transitions in human history, such as the shift from hunting and gathering to farming, and allows us to move beyond simple deterministic interpretations of climate-driven innovation. Avifaunal remains provide detailed indications of complex multi-species interactions at the local scale. They allow us to infer relationships between human and non-human animals, but also to reconstruct their niche, because many bird species are sensitive to specific ecological conditions and will often relocate and change their breeding patterns. In this paper, we illustrate how novel evidence that waterfowl reproduced at Levantine wetlands, which we obtained through biomolecular archaeology, together with modern ornithological data reveals conditions of wetlands that are conducive for breeding waterfowl. By understanding the interplay between wetland productivity cycles and waterfowl ecology, we argue that human modifications to the environment could have promoted wetland productivity inviting waterfowl to remain year-round. Within this landscape of “mutual ecologies”, the feedback resulting from the agency of all species is involved in the construction of the human niche.

show abstract

The Diepkloof Rock Shelter foodplant fitness landscape, Western Cape, South Africa

Lombard

2023

Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa

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Identifying the chaîne opératoire of club-rush (Bolboschoenus glaucus (Lam.) S.G.Sm) tuber exploitation during the Early Natufian in the Black Desert (northeastern Jordan)

Cited by 3 publications

References 30 publications

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

Waterfowl eggshell refines palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and supports multi-species niche construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the Levant

Waterfowl Eggshell Refines Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction and Supports Multi-species Niche Construction at the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition in the Levant

The Diepkloof Rock Shelter foodplant fitness landscape, Western Cape, South Africa

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